Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

It’s almost daily that we see on the news that another bear has visited a suburban neighborhood. The reality is that suburbia has invaded the bears habitat. I always get a kick out of the people who never before left the city and move into the urban-wildland interface area and are amazed and even startled that wildlife such as bears, cougars and coyotes roam their neighborhoods. Well if they only knew that their garbage as well as FiFi and Fluffy make easy pickings for the neighborhood predators.

Luckily, once we are away from the suburban areas, bears are a little more wary of humans than your neighborhood variety. Although rare, encounters with bears do occur. Although there have been some recent unusual tragic situations that have even occurred, the typical confrontations with bears are the result of a surprise encounter at close range. All we can do is be prepared and prevent the likelihood of a deadly encounter.

The American black bear is the most common bear in Pacific Northwest. Grizzly Bears are much rarer with populations in the North Cascades of Washington state and in areas of Idaho. Although much of the following information applies to both species, it is targeted toward the more common black bear.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has kindly provided us with an informational site Living with Wildlife: Black Bears. Some key tips discussed on the site should you have a close cencounter with a black bear include:

• Stop, remain calm, and assess the situation. If the bear seems unaware of you, move away quietly when it’s not looking in your direction. Continue to observe the animal as you retreat, watching for changes in its behavior.
• If a bear walks toward you, identify yourself as a human by standing up, waving your hands above your head, and talking to the bear in a low voice. (Don’t use the word bear because a human-food-conditioned bear might associate “bear” with food . . . people feeding bears often say “here bear.”
• Don’t throw anything at the bear and avoid direct eye contact, which the bear could interpret as a threat or a challenge.
• If you cannot safely move away from the bear or the bear continues toward you, scare it away by clapping your hands, stomping your feet, yelling, and staring the animal in the eyes. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to shoulder and raise and wave your arms to appear intimidating. The more it persists the more aggressive your response should be. If you have pepper spray, use it.
• Don’t run from the bear unless safety is very near and you are absolutely certain you can reach it (knowing that bears can run 35 mph). Climbing a tree is generally not recommended as an escape from an aggressive black bear, as black bears are adept climbers and may follow you up a tree.
• In the unlikely event a black bear attacks you (where actual contact is made), fight back aggressively using your hands, feet, legs, and any object you can reach. Aim for the eyes or spray pepper spray into the bear’s face.

In addition to the tips above, food storage and good camp sanitation is vital in preventing bears from paying you an unwanted visit while camping.

Further information on bear safety, including more information on Grizzly bears, is provided by the National Park Service at Bear Safety in the North Cascades